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Whiling the hours away at home during my son’s high-risk pregnancy, I started a blog. My friend Ashley talked me into it, and as I recall, it didn’t take too much convincing. As a technical writer I desperately needed an outlet that would satisfy my creative desires and, if I was being honest with myself, I wanted to see how my writing would be received by others – assuming, of course, that people would actually be interested in anything I had to say.

I wrote about whatever topics happened to pop into my head, and while I had a propensity for writing about current events and politics, I rarely shared anything too controversial. I soon developed a very small following of readers and my initial foray into the blogging world was pleasant and uneventful. It was also short-lived; once my son was born, I could scarcely find time to eat let alone write, and blog posts slowly petered down to nothing. (more…)

I’ve been staring at my computer screen for some time now, trying to come up with a zippy little introduction for my first article in the Haaretz lifestyle magazine ESSENCE, which hit the newsstands on Friday. I don’t know if it’s the lack of caffeine in my system, the lack of caffeine in my system, or the lack of caffeine in my system, but nothing exciting comes to mind.

In any event, the article is about the more than 30 walking tours run by the Association for Tourism Tel Aviv-Jaffa, including the four free tours in English (the rest are in Hebrew). The article isn’t on the Haaretz website, so I’ve taken the liberty of uploading to my blog (having used a total of three different computers for scanning, PDFing and uploading, thank you very much). I loved writing the article, probably because the tours all sound so fascinating! (more…)

I am a freelance writer – oh how I love to write
Stringing words together, morning, noon and night
It took me quite a while, to give this path a go
Afraid I’d never make it, and that they’d all say no

I started very slowly, beginning with a blog
Years of dreary office work had left me in a fog
I wanted to create; I needed something more
To talk about my work, and not sound like a bore

It’s now a few years later; I’ve amassed a bunch of clips
Some are just a tad mundane, while others – quite a trip
From politics to hummus – sometimes they overlap
Perhaps you’ll disagree with me, but please don’t say it’s crap

As things stand right now, I’ve got some time to fill
Peruse the stuff I’ve written – I might just fit your bill
My writing’s rather good, or so some people say
I’d love to do some work for you – but only if you pay

One of the best moves I’ve made during my time in Israel was to leave my job in a technical writing outsourcing agency and make the leap into the local hi-tech industry. My life changed socially as well as professionally, as I suddenly found myself in a Hebrew-speaking environment instead of an English-speaking one. Instead of spending my days in a comfort zone surrounded by colleagues who were Anglo – the generic term used to describe all native English speakers, I was now spending my days with native Israelis and other non-native English speakers, speaking Hebrew instead of English, and finally having the opportunity to integrate as I never had before.

For the first time since coming to Israel, I started to make Israeli friends of my own, as opposed to those I’d inherited by virtue of being married to an Israeli. Until then, most of my own friends had been Anglos from a variety of countries, and while there’s certainly a lot to be said for having friends from similar backgrounds and with a shared frame of reference, I wanted to expand my boundaries. I wanted the Israeli experience, and given that I was too old to serve in the army (which probably wouldn’t have worked out to well anyway for any one of a plethora of reasons), immersing myself in a truly Israeli workplace as one of the lone native English speakers seemed to be the best plan of action.

And it worked. I now have a wide circle of Israeli friends and acquaintances. Not only that, but from a professional standpoint, I’ve managed to tap into that network and use it to my advantage by positioning myself as the token native-English speaker among them. When people require English-language services, I’m usually the person who comes to mind. In addition to editing and translating resumes (as many international companies with facilities here prefer to receive CVs in English) and academic theses, I’ve been contacted by perfect strangers either requiring my services or offering me a job, having been referred to me by one of my Hebrew-speaking friends or colleagues. In a country like Israel, where who you know is often just as important as what you know, these associations can be invaluable, especially to those who didn’t grow up here, who don’t have the benefit of the ever-important school and army connections. Whether you’re trying to find a full-time position or trying to crack the freelance market, networking is probably going to play a key role in your success.

Break out of the comfort zone! Working with fellow English speakers is certainly easier, but it will be more difficult to stand out for your unique talents if everyone you work with is just like you.

Network! Never underestimate the connections you make. Who knows when that engineer with whom you casually discussed the complex new software application or the parent you chatted with at the last preschool birthday party might need something written in English?

Maintain the connection! Given the abundance of networking sites and other means for online communication, staying in touch with people is easier than ever. Sites like LinkedIn provide a low-maintenance outlet for keeping tabs on former colleagues. I’ve been contacted on numerous occasions through my LinkedIn profile due to recommendations of old coworkers with whom I’m connected.

Create your niche! Just as you can use being the only native English speaker among your friends and colleagues in your chosen country to your advantage, you can also market yourself as an expert on your adopted country to those back home or in other countries.
Here in Israel, the market is inundated with English-language writers, but by tapping into mailing lists and reaching out to like-minded groups abroad, you become a unique commodity. I’ve also used my blog as a springboard for connecting with bloggers and website owners around the world, and these connections are paying off. These friends and writing colleagues frequently pass on information about different freelance gigs requiring Israel-based writers, and I’m happy to return the favor.

Learn the language! This one seems rather basic, but I’m often surprised by the numbers of native English speakers here who don’t make an effort to at least become comfortably proficient. No one will hate you if you don’t, but the locals are more likely to truly accept you into their lives if you do. Yes, I know they all speak English, but that’s beside the point. The colleague who has to switch languages every time they need to ask you a question is going to keep the chatter to a minimum; the language barrier will always be there.
Most of my Hebrew-speaking friends have no problem with me throwing out words in English, but if I couldn’t speak Hebrew, I probably wouldn’t have been able to befriend them in the first place. And, if I hadn’t been able to make small talk with work colleagues and become a real person instead of just “the technical writer”, I’m guessing they wouldn’t be recommending me to their friends and colleagues years later. Sure, I’ve had to prove myself professionally, but without the language, I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have.